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TNC Backend

The backend for the TNC project is built with Node.js, Express, and TypeScript. It provides a RESTful API for core functionalities and utilizes Socket.io for real-time communication features.

Tech Stack

  • Runtime: Node.js
  • Framework: Express (v5.x)
  • Language: TypeScript
  • Database: MongoDB with Mongoose ODM
  • Real-time: Socket.io
  • Storage: AWS S3 (via @aws-sdk/client-s3)
  • Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Tokens) & Cookie-parser
  • Notifications: Expo Server SDK
  • Mailing: Nodemailer

Project Structure

backend/
├── controllers/    # Request handlers & business logic
├── middlewares/    # Custom Express middlewares (e.g., Auth)
├── models/         # Mongoose schemas and TypeScript interfaces
├── routes/         # API route definitions
├── services/       # External service integrations (S3, Socket, MongoDB, Email)
├── types/          # Global TypeScript type definitions
├── server.ts       # Application entry point & configuration
└── tsconfig.json   # TypeScript configuration

Architecture

1. REST API

The primary interface for client applications, organized into modular routes.

  • Auth: Handles registration, login, password recovery, and email verification.
  • Blog: Manages blog post creation, editing, and retrieval.
  • Room: Manages chat rooms and member associations.
  • Project: Handles project showcase listings.
  • Features: Manages feature requests and status updates.

2. Real-time (WebSockets)

Powered by Socket.io, the backend supports real-time chat functionality. The configuration and setup are managed in services/socket.ts and initialized in server.ts.

3. Service Layer

Encapsulates logic for external integrations:

  • connection.ts: MongoDB connection management.
  • s3Bucket.ts: Utilities for interacting with AWS S3.
  • sendEmail.ts & verifyAcc.ts: Email handling for account verification and password resets.
  • socket.ts: Socket.io event handling and setup.

4. Middleware

  • allowOnlyAuthenticatedUser: Protects routes by verifying JWT tokens stored in cookies.

API Reference

Authentication (/api/auth)

  • POST /signup - Register a new user.
  • POST /login - Authenticate user and set session cookie.
  • POST /logout - Clear session cookie.
  • GET /verify-acc - Verify user email.
  • POST /forget-password/viaEmail - Request password reset via email.
  • POST /save-token - Save Expo push token for notifications.

Blogs (/api/blog)

  • GET / - Get all public blogs.
  • GET /:blogId - Get a specific blog.
  • POST / - Create a new blog (Auth required).
  • PUT /edit/:blogId - Edit a blog.
  • DELETE /delete/:blogId - Delete a blog.
  • GET /my-blogs/:userId - Get blogs by a specific user.

Chat & Rooms (/api/chat, /api/room)

  • GET /api/room/allRooms - List all available chat rooms.
  • POST /api/room/ - Create a new room.
  • GET /api/room/:roomId - Get room information.
  • POST /api/chat/:roomId - Send a message (supports image upload via Multer).
  • GET /api/chat/chat-history/:roomId - Retrieve message history for a room.

Projects & Features

  • GET /api/project/ - Get all projects.
  • POST /api/project/post - Post a new project.
  • GET /api/features/ - Get all feature requests.
  • POST /api/features/ - Submit a new feature request.

Setup and Development

Prerequisites

  • Node.js installed.
  • MongoDB instance (Local or Atlas).

Installation

  1. Navigate to the backend directory: 
    cd backend
  2. Install dependencies: 
    npm install

Configuration

Create a .env file in the backend directory and provide the following variables:

Variable Description
MONGO_URI MongoDB connection string
PORT Port number for the server (e.g., 8001)
AWS_ACCESS_KEY AWS Access Key ID
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY AWS Secret Access Key
AWS_S3_BUCKET Name of the AWS S3 bucket
AWS_S3_REGION AWS region for the S3 bucket
JWT_ENCRYP_KEY Secret key for JWT signing
MAIL_USER Email address for sending notifications (SMTP)
MAIL_PASS Password or App Password for the email account
FRONTEND_PROD_URL Production URL of the frontend application

You can use .env.local as a template.

Running the server

  • Development: npm run dev (starts server with nodemon)
  • Build: npm run build (compiles TypeScript to JS)
  • Production: npm start